National Mentoring Month

January is National Mentoring month. There is nothing more rewarding than being a mentor. I have been a mentor for a number of years. I am really inspired by the appreciation and love that I am given just by taking time out of my day and spending it with those less fortunate, those with mental health issues, and those that just need a positive role model to look up to. 

In my current job, I am a therapeutic mentor which is different from a big brother big sister mentor, or being a mentor for at-risk youth which I have also done in the past. Therapeutic mentoring is provided to youth (under the age of 21) in any setting where the youth resides, such as the home (including foster homes and therapeutic foster homes), and in other community settings such as school, child care centers, or respite settings. 

TM offers structured, one-to-one, strength-based support services between a therapeutic mentor and a youth for the purpose of addressing daily living, social, and communication needs. Therapeutic Mentoring services include supporting, coaching, and training the youth in age-appropriate behaviors, interpersonal communication, problem-solving and conflict resolution, and relating appropriately to other children and adolescents, as well as adults, in recreational and social activities. TM promotes a youth’s success in navigating various social contexts, learning new skills, and making functional progress in the community.

National Mentoring Month is a campaign held each January to promote youth mentoring in the United States. It was inaugurated in 2002, and is spearheaded by the Harvard School of Public Health, MENTOR, and the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Each year since 2002, President George W. Bush has endorsed the campaign by proclaiming January as National Mentoring Month. The declaration has been endorsed by both chambers of the United States Congress. The campaign's media partners have included ABC, CBS, Fox News, and NBC; Comcast; the National Association of Broadcasters; Time Warner; and Viacom.

Participants in the National Mentoring Month campaign include leading nonprofit organizations and numerous governors and mayors. Designated nonprofit and governmental agencies are responsible for coordinating local campaign activities in communities across the country, including media outreach and volunteer recruitment. Local lead partners include state and local affiliates of MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership, Corporation for National and Community Service, Points of Light Foundation and Volunteer Center National Network, America's Promise, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Communities in Schools, and United Way of America.

Look into a mentor program to see how it can benefit you and how you can benefit it and use it to be a light in someones life.